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RIPSAWS Sharpening a Ripsaw After setting, blacken the tops of the teeth with A B a marker to make it easier to see what you are doing as you file (A). Because the teeth are filed at 90 degrees to the sawblade, a ripsaw is the easiest kind of saw to sharpen. Start by putting the saw in a vise (B) so the teeth are as close as possible to the jaws. This will help to prevent the blade from vibrating and the file from chattering. You’ll get better results if you make sure the saw is horizontal. Start filing the teeth closest to the handle, and work toward the front of the saw (this is a good habit because the back teeth usually get less use, so get your rhythm going here where it doesn’t matter as much). On a ripsaw, the front of the sawtooth may be at 90 degrees or lean back slightly. This is called the rake angle. On this saw, it is 8 degrees. Cant the file at that angle, keeping an eye on the top of the file to maintain a consistent angle. You will be filing the front of one tooth and the back of the adjacent one at the same time. C D Take the same number of strokes on each tooth. Keep the file horizontal (C), at right angles to the blade (D) and at the proper rake angle. File only enough to remove the black mark on each tooth (E). You can file all the teeth on a ripsaw from the same side, but since the file cuts the tooth leaning away from you with less chatter, it’s a good practice to file every other tooth, then turn the saw around in the vise and repeat the filing process. Once again for the sake of consistency, start at the handle end and work toward the tip of the saw. E 152 Handsaws